


If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too

by Nativestar



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kid Fic, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25938787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nativestar/pseuds/Nativestar
Summary: The first manhunt Bozer ever helped with was when he was twelve and Mac had run away after getting into trouble for blowing up the chemistry lab.  This is the story of how he was found.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 47





	If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too

**Author's Note:**

> This is all anguishmacgyver's fault for posting this on tumblr.

Bozer stomped up the stairs to his room and flung his backpack on the floor where it skidded to a stop at the foot of his bed. It wasn’t fair. Everyone else was still out there. Still searching. Because Mac was still missing. He was Mac’s best friend, if anyone knew where he might have gone it was Bozer, they should be asking for his help not sending him home because it was ‘getting late.’

It was dark outside now and the temperature had dropped. Bozer knew Mac didn’t have his coat with him because he’d been the one to hand it back to Harry. But Mac was resourceful, and Bozer really hoped he’d found somewhere safe to hole up in. He just wished he knew where it was. They were best friends after all, why didn’t they already have some kind of pre-arranged secret meeting place? Because lets face it, Mac accidentally blowing something up was probably going to be a semi-regular occurrence.

Bozer sat down heavily on his bed with a sigh and looked up at his closed closet doors. The same ones that he distinctly remembered leaving open this morning because he’d left them open all week. In fact, he hadn’t shut them since he and Mac had watched that horror movie where the killer had been waiting to strike in the victim’s closet. Mac had teased him for it, but Bozer had noticed his friend’s own closet door was also open the last time he’d been round.

Bozer stood and approached the doors slowly, his right hand bunching into a fist. Either a psychotic killer was lying in wait or… possibly, _hopefully_ , maybe Mac?

Or... his mom had been in his room.

Bozer knew which option was more likely, but he really hoped it was his best friend.

He tugged on the door handle and it swung open quietly. And there, huddled on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest was one Angus Macgyver.

“Dude!” Bozer said, the rush of relief coursing through him. “Have you been hiding here all along? Mac, _everyone_ has been looking for you, all day! They put the school on lockdown, there’s search parties in the woods, everyone has been so worried! Are you okay?”

Bozer stopped to take a breath and watched as Mac didn’t say anything, but tears filled his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Mac said, barely audible and seemed to shrink back further back into the closet. He looked miserable, there were smudges of soot on his face and there was that vulnerability that Mac had that always made Bozer slip back into big brother mode.

Bozer looked over his shoulder. He knew the right thing to do would be to let his mom know Mac was here and safe, but he looked back at Mac and realised that Mac wasn’t quite ready for the attention of concerned adults. Instead, he stepped into the closest and closed the doors behind them. He shifted some shoe boxes out of the way and wedged himself next to Mac, pressed up together Bozer could feel Mac’s body heat, at least he hadn’t needed his coat after all.

“It’s okay.” He reassured, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “As long as you’re okay. You are okay, right?”

“I’m fine.” Mac said, running the sleeve of his shirt over his face.

“Fine people don’t hang out in their best friends closet.” Bozer disagreed. “But, like, you’re not hurt or anything, are you?”

“I’m okay.” Mac shrugged, then admitted, “Kinda hungry.”

That was good. Hungry, Bozer could fix.

“Well, my mom’s downstairs. And you know how she stress bakes. It doesn’t matter that it’s almost midnight, I bet she’s already got a batch of cookies going. My dad’s still out with the search parties though. I’ll get you something to eat--”

“No!” Mac’s hand reached out and held Bozer’s wrist. “Please don’t.” Mac sounded scared and Bozer was starting to get the feeling it ran deeper than just fear of being in trouble.

“Why? You can’t stay in here forever, Mac. Everyone will be so relieved you’re safe you probably won’t even get in too much trouble for the lab. I mean you’ll probably be in detention for the rest of the school year but Mr Ericson will probably let you spend it in his lab so it’s not _really_ a punishment.”

Mac didn’t say anything, but the worried look didn’t leave his eyes. So it _was_ something deeper.

“What’s wrong?”

Mac said nothing.

“Why’d you run, Mac?”

Mac licked his dry lips and took a shaky breath.

“Because I don’t wanna leave.”

“Leave?”

“I’m too much trouble. And kids that are too much trouble get sent away.”

Bozer suddenly remembered the _other_ movie they’d watched last week. Where the ‘troubled youth’ had committed arson and been sent away to distant relatives in a small town to straighten out their delinquent ways. Bozer had found it pretty boring and predictable. Apparently Mac had found it a lot more memorable but not for the right reasons.

“I blew up a lab, Bozer.” Mac whispered.

“I noticed.” Bozer said wryly, please to see that it nearly coaxed a smile out of Mac. “But the damage looked worse than what it was, a firefighter told me so, said it was superficial. I think they thought if I knew the damage was minor I’d give you up.” Bozer looked at Mac. “I never would have though, even if I had known where you were. Which reminds me, we need to have a rendezvous point for when things like this happen again. Somewhere safe and secret.”

Mac smiled. An actual genuine smile this time. “That’s why I came here. Felt safe here.”

“Good.” Bozer said firmly. “My closet is your closet.”

“Thanks.” Mac said.

“You know, Harry would never send you away, Mac.” Bozer said. He was sure Mac knew this too, but something had sown a seed of doubt in his mind and it wasn’t just the movie.

“He might.” Mac mumbled.

“Mac, the man hasn’t taken a break from searching for you all day, I don’t think he’s going to let you out of his sight for months.”

“He might.” Mac repeated. “If I was too much for my dad then maybe I’ll be too much for my grandfather too.”

“Harry isn’t your dad, and your dad leaving had nothing to do with you.” Bozer said. Just like he had a dozen times before. Just like he was sure Harry had as well.

Mac didn’t answer, which was revealing enough by itself. He was focused on his hands, his fingers fidgeting, Bozer looked closer and sure enough there was a paperclip being shaped, but it didn’t seem to be forming anything recognisable. Mac didn’t talk about his dad very often but Bozer knew the one theory for his dad leaving that Mac kept coming back to over and over again was that Mac had done something wrong, that he’d caused his dad to leave. No matter what anyone told him, Mac would inevitably circle back around to it at some point.

Bozer decided to try a different tactic.

“Mac, has Harry said anything to make you think he didn’t want you around?”

Mac shook his head, silently. “But Donnie said it was weird that I live with my grandfather.” He mumbled. “Said that his grandfather always said he loved him but he was also glad when his dad came to pick him up.”

“Donnie says a lot of things. Mostly stupid things.” Bozer said. “You can’t listen to him.”

“I know. Donnie’s a bully.” Mac agreed. “But that doesn’t mean he’s not right.”

Bozer lifted his eyebrows. In his eyes, that most definitely meant Donnie wasn’t right. In fact, Donnie was wrong about most things. And even if it meant he had another week suspended from school, he might just need to remind Donnie about how wrong he was.

“Well, I definitely know he’s wrong about this.”

Mac frowned and Bozer knew he was about to challenge him on this because Mac always preferred facts and proofs, but luckily, he had them for him this time.

“It ain’t weird. It isn’t even unusual. You know Natasha? In the grade above us? She lives with her grandparents because her mom is sick and can’t look after her at the moment.”

“I didn’t know that.” Mac said, slightly surprised.

Bozer shrugged. “She doesn’t talk about it much, so don’t let on that I told you, okay?”

Mac nodded earnestly.

“Besides, even if you couldn’t stay with Harry, you know you’ve always got a home here, right?”

Mac stopped fiddling with the paperclip and looked at Bozer, his face full of hopeful uncertainty.

“Don’t you need to ask your parents first?”

“Nah, c’mon, Mac. If it weren’t for Harry they’d have adopted you already. You’re over here more often than not as it is. They’d take you in, no question about it.”

Mac smiled, a blush rising in his cheeks. As far as Bozer was concerned, Mac was family. He didn’t use the word _brother_ , it was too soon, but that didn’t change what Mac was to him. Mac seemed better now, Bozer noted. Calmer and less tense. He knew Mac’s worries hadn’t entirely disappeared and were still lurking beneath the surface but they also couldn’t sit in the closet all night.

“C’mon, I’m feeling hungry too, lets go get a midnight snack off my mom.”

Bozer stood, opening the door and held his hand out. Mac stared at it, not moving, Bozer knew the safety of the closet probably still felt pretty appealing but he wiggled his fingers, hoping that Mac knew he wouldn’t have to face the music alone.

And with a resolved nod, Mac took his hand.

* * *

They crept down the stairs, Mac following so closely that he kept bumping into Bozer. His eyes were wide with apprehension and still rimmed in red. Bozer knew Mac would be forgiven the moment his mom clapped eyes on him, it was himself he was worried about. Her back was to them, a bowl and cookie ingredients on the kitchen worktop just as Bozer predicted.

“Mom?” Bozer said anxiously. Even though he’d done nothing wrong he still felt a bit guilty. He probably should have told his mom the moment he’d found Mac in his closet, but she couldn’t know that he hadn’t, could she?

“No, you can’t go back out, Wilt. I’m sorry, I’m worried about him too but--” Her voice cut off as she turned around and saw Mac standing next to Bozer. There was silence for a moment, and when it dragged on, Mac blinked and lowered his eyes, biting his lip.

“Oh, Angus.” She said, her voice wavering.

Bozer sensed Mac tensing up next to him, as if he was bracing himself for the angry words he was expecting. Instead, in the space of two steps Mac found himself engulfed in a warm hug.

“Honey, we’ve been so worried about you.”

Bozer watched as Mac crumbled in his mom’s arms, a litany of sorrys pouring out of him. He didn’t know what to do with himself for a moment, suddenly unsure of his place, when his mom reached out and tugged him into her embrace as well.

She sighed and pressed a kiss to each of their heads.

His mom always gave the best hugs, and Bozer always felt safe and loved in her arms.

He hoped Mac felt that too.


End file.
